2. As I said, Sato Keisuke clearly stated that he did not believe Tanomo was the martial teacher of Takeda - and gave clear and cogent reasons why. Sato was so trusted by the Takeda family that they delegated him as the one individual (not Sagawa, fwiw) to go to the old man and suggest that he stop traveling, as he was so old. Sato was respected (and apparently loved by Takeda as well) because he, unlike almost all those guys, had no ax to grind, was not grandiose, and wasn't a climber who wanted some kind of status - which, I think, encompasses most of the other main Daito-ryu guys. Sato's statement, quoted in Stanley's book, was, for me, the most impressive "evidence" I came across.

Ellis Amdur

Hi Ellis,

In between you and Dan going round and round and making my head spin, can I ask something about the above? IF aiki could be taught separate from any martial training, then Sato Keisuke could actually be telling the truth, couldn't he? Whether Sato Keisuke actually knew what Tanomo taught Takeda would be hidden under that answer. It would be a very Japanese way of answering a question without really answering the questions, wouldn't it?